Who knew 17 years could go so fast? By the time it takes to send a kid to college, I’ve been toiling, mostly joyfully, at the Chronicle and SFGate.com. I am headed to KNBR 680-AM, where I will also be making radio appearances and occasionally filling in as a co-host and continuing as part of …

At 5-foot-9 ¾ inches and 200 pounds, Ventrone, one of the 49ers’ core special-teams players, is slightly smaller than placekicker Phil Dawson (5-11, 200). His stature helps explain why Division I colleges ignored him (he went to Villanova), no team drafted him and he was waived six times (four times by the Patriots) in his first three seasons in the league. …